Uncle Milford and Bessie in Business Town
by Elizabeth8289
Summary: Uncle Milford and Bessie were invited on a business trip while Stephanie stays with Sportacus. They had a wonderful time. Plus something bad happened to Ruth. Find out what that is later in the story.
1. The Invitation to Business Town

Lazy Town is _not _mine. It's Magnus Scheving's. Thank you.

Special thanks to 18lzytwner

---

It was Saturday afternoon and Uncle Milford was home from work as the doorbell rang. It was his secretary, Bessie Busybody, with an invitation that had arrived after the mayor left the office.

"What's that for?" Uncle Milford asked.

"We're invited to go on a business trip in Business Town for a week for both mayors and secretaries starting tomorrow morning. We'd have to take the nine a.m. train at the train station. It's mandatory, so we can't miss it." Betsy explained while reading it to the mayor.

"I would go, but I can't. Stephanie and I already planned to go on a camping trip that week on Tuesday for two nights like I said I would otherwise she'll be…" Uncle Milford began.

"I don't care what you say. Forget about her." Bessie interrupted.

"What did you say about my niece? Forget about her? I don't think so. Don't talk about her like that. Now I'm _not_ going with you. Don't say those things about her." The mayor said angrily shutting and locking the door. He went to the kitchen to cook dinner. Bessie was outside the kitchen window.

"If I go without you, we both can get fired like the invitation said." Bessie warned him while he was ignoring her. "Do not ignore me."

Uncle Milford looked up and said, "I have a reason to ignore; telling me to forget about my own niece. Do that again and I'll fire you. I'm the mayor, which means I'm the boss. You're lucky she's not home because if she heard you said to forget about her, she'd be very upset with you. I don't want anyone, including you, to hurt her feelings. Do you understand?"

"Fine." Bessie replied.

"I'll go, but I don't want to hear a word from you about Stephanie, I will come straight home without you and go camping with her. Got it?" Uncle Milford asked in a firm voice.

"Yes." Bessie said.

---

Meanwhile, Stephanie was getting a drink of water near Trixie, who sat on the park bench. When she saw something sticking out of Stephanie's purse, she pulled it out, and read it, she brought it to Stingy and Ziggy to show it to them, but they didn't believe her.

"Are you sure that was Stephanie?" Stingy asked. "She wasn't with you."

"I'm positive." Trixie said.

"I don't believe you." Ziggy said.

"Me either." Stingy said.

"Fine, don't believe me." Trixie replied as she left. That was when Stephanie came back.

"What's going on?" The nine-year-old asked as they told her what happened. "What? Why would I do that?"

"We didn't believe her anyway." Stingy said.

"At least you both care." Stephanie said going to a very angry Trixie.

"Why are you accusing me of something I didn't do?" Trixie ignored her; her feelings were hurt.

"Fine. Be that way." Stephanie replied as she left.

---

At Uncle Milford's house, the door was opened and slammed shut. Stephanie ran past Uncle Milford to her room and slammed her bedroom door.

"Stephanie, dinner's ready!" The mayor called to his niece.

Stephanie was still in her room as he knocked on her door and came in. He noticed she was on her bed facing the window as he sat next to her realizing she was upset.

"It's time for dinner, honey." Uncle Milford said.

"I'm not hungry right now." Stephanie said as she wiped her tears away.

"What's wrong, my dear?" Uncle Milford asked the nine-year-old.

"Something bad happened. Trixie's not talking to me for any reason." Stephanie then went on to explain what happened, her voice was breaking.

"Talk to Sportacus since he knows what to do." The mayor suggested comforting her.

"I'll do that tomorrow when I calm down a bit." Stephanie replied as she started crying and hugging her uncle.

"It'll be ok, Stephanie." Uncle Milford said. "I have something to tell you after when I come in to say good night to you. Do you want anything to eat?"

Stephanie just shook her head, "no".

"If you change your mind, I'll save some for leftovers." The mayor said as he left the room.

---

At nine-thirty p.m., Uncle Milford came in to be with his niece.

"Are you alright now?" Uncle Milford asked.

"Yes. I'm glad we have Sportacus to help me out." Stephanie said.

"I have news to tell you. Bessie came by with an invitation. We were invited to go on a business trip in Business Town for both mayor and their secretaries." Uncle Milford said.

"For how long?" Stephanie asked.

"It's only for a week, honey." Uncle Milford said.

"Oh, so we're not going on a camping trip for two days like we planned?" The nine-year-old asked.

"That's correct. I told that to Bessie, but she almost told me to forget about you." The mayor continued.

"Why did she say to you about me?" Stephanie asked.

"However, we did have a deal. If I hear her one word about you during the business trip, I'll be coming home and we can go camping trip. I promise you that for sure. Sounds fair enough?" Uncle Milford asked.

"Okay, I guess." Stephanie said. "Do you really have to go?"

"Bessie told me it's mandatory, so yes I have to go." The mayor said.

"When are you leaving?" Stephanie asked.

"Tomorrow morning. We'll be taking the nine a.m. train at the train station." Uncle Milford replied. "Can you ask Sportacus to stay with you?"

"Okay." Stephanie said.

"Thank you, my dear." The mayor smiled as he kissed her. "Good night, honey."

"Night." Stephanie said as her uncle left the room shutting off the light and the door while she went to sleep.

TBC


	2. The Daily Plans

Sorry to say, but I believe that Lazy Town will always be Magnus Scheving's

---

It was the middle of the night and Stephanie wasn't sleeping. She was still upset about Trixie accusing her for something she didn't do and for what Bessie had told her uncle. The next day, after Stephanie ate her breakfast, that Uncle Milford had left for her before he left that morning, she got dressed. Then she got her diary, and purse and left to go see Sportacus.

"Sportacus, are you up?" Stephanie asked from the ground. The above average hero came out of his airship and landed nearby.

"Morning, dear."

"Good Morning. I need to talk to you please." Stephanie said.

Sportacus noticed she was upset and asked, "You looked upset. What's wrong?"

She explained what happened and added, "Can you help me? I don't know what's going on."

"Of course. We'll go together. I can see Trixie from over here." Sportacus said as they headed to the other kids. "Trixie, can we have a little talk for a minute?"

"Sure." Trixie replied going to him.

"I heard you accused Stephanie for something she didn't do." the hero said.

"Here's proof." Trixie said.

Sportacus read it, _"Trixie is a drama queen."_

"Are you sure she did this? Did you even ask her?" The blue suited man asked.

"Fine." Trixie said as she went to Stephanie. "We need a talk. Look what you wrote about me."

Stephanie read it and said, "You? A drama queen? You're not a drama queen for one thing. Another thing, I didn't write that at all because my pages are white. Plus I wasn't with you or had the diary out the entire time. You should _always_ ask before you accuse stuff like that."

"Sorry, I bet I know who did it." Trixie said.

"Robbie Rotten." The girls chorused.

"What's going on today?" asked Trixie.

"Uncle Milford and Bessie are away on a business trip in Business Town for a week, so he and I are not going camping until he returns. You what know Bessie told him when he told her about our camping plan? She told him to forget about me." Stephanie explained.

"She told him that about you? How rude of her!" Trixie exclaimed.

"I know, but Uncle Milford said they made a deal. If he hears a word about me, he'll come home and we can go camping." The nine-year-old said.

"Good. That'd teach Bessie a lesson." Trixie nodded.

---

Stephanie went back to Sportacus because she'd forgotten to ask him to stay with her while Uncle Milford was away.

"Uncle Milford went away on a business trip in Business Town this morning for a week and told me to ask you if you'd stay with me." Stephanie said.

"Certainly, I enjoy being with you." The above average hero smiled.

"Thanks." Stephanie said.

"We can eat in my airship tonight." Sportacus offered.

"Okay. Good idea!" The nine-year-old exclaimed.

So later that night they had fruit salad in the airship.

"Thanks for dinner. I love fruit salad." Stephanie said.

"Not a problem, Stephanie. We should do this more often." The above average hero said.

"I agree we should." Stephanie said.

---

At nine-thirty p.m., Stephanie was in bed writing in her diary as Sportacus came in to see her.

"I'm just coming in here to say good night." Sportacus said.

"That's what Uncle Milford does." Stephanie told him.

"I'm thinking of camping out all this week starting tomorrow until Saturday or next Sunday. I already told the rest about the plan." The above average hero said.

"Really?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah." He smiled. The nine-year-old hugged him happily.

"Night, Sportacus." Stephanie said.

"Night, honey, see you in the morning." Sportacus said. "I'll be sleeping on the couch if you need me."

"Alright." Stephanie said she turned off her light and went to sleep.

TBC


	3. Stephanie Meets Patrick Gomes, Jr

Lazy Town belongs to Magnus Scheving

----

Two hours later, Stephanie was tossing and turning in her bed.

"No, no." Stephanie called out in her sleep.

Sportacus was heading to the couch for bed when he heard her. He came back into her room and noticed she was tossing and turning.

"No, no." Stephanie continued. "No, no. No, no."

"Stephanie, it's ok." The above average hero said as she woke up and hugged him. "It'll be ok. You were having a bad dream."

At two am, Stephanie got up and went out to Sportacus in the living room.

"Sportacus." Stephanie said. Sportacus woke up and saw the nine-year-old near him.

"Are you alright?" Sportacus asked.

"Can I sleep out here with you?" Stephanie asked.

"Of course." Sportacus said.

He moved over and pulled the covers back for her. Placing her pillow near his, the hero helped her into the pullout bed.

Three hours later, Stephanie began to toss and turn again. Sportacus was in the bathroom and didn't hear her right away

"No, no." Stephanie called out as the nightmare began again. Soon she tossed and turned in her sleep. When Sportacus came out, he noticed she was having another bad dream and he sat next to her.

"No, no." Stephanie continued. "No, no. No, no."

"Stephanie, honey." The above average hero said as he was trying to wake her while she just kept tossing and turning. "Stephanie." When she woke up noticing Sportacus there, she hugged him right away.

"You were having another bad dream." Sportacus said.

The nine-year-old hugged him tightly. Her Uncle's words about what Bessie had said still rung in her ears.

The next day, the kids were outside getting ready to camp out when Sportacus' crystal rang and everyone saw a kitten stuck in a tree.

"Sportacus, the poor kitten is stuck in this tree." Stephanie said.

Sportacus jumped up and got the kitten from the tree. Setting the kitten on the ground he smiled and said, "There. You're safe now, little one."

"Kittens are adorable. I love cats." The nine-year-old said while the kitten was rubbing against her.

"I think it likes you." Sportacus said.

"I think so, too." Stephanie agreed as she picked up the kitten and went to the bench to sit down.

"Do you have any cats?" The above average hero asked.

"No. We only have two fish, but we're thinking of getting a kitten." Stephanie replied. Then a young boy came by and found his kitten.

"You found my kitten. Thanks." The young boy said. "Her name is Penny. I just got her two weeks from Ms. Annabelle Sanderson. The mother cat had five kittens. Do you want to see them? They're ready to go home."

"Sure. Is that ok?" Stephanie asked Sportacus.

"Of course you can." Sportacus said. "I'll have your camping stuff ready when you come back. Penny was in the tree and I got her down."

"Thank you so much." The boy said. "I'm Patrick Gomes, Jr."

"It's nice to meet. I'm Stephanie Meanswell." Stephanie introduced to herself. "And this is Sportacus, the above average hero."

"It's nice to meet you." Patrick said. "Let's bring Penny home on the way to Anna's. She lets you call her Anna for short."

"Ok, see you after, Sportacus." Stephanie said.

"Don't forget: your stuff will be ready when you return." Sportacus reminded her.

"Alright. Thanks." The nine-year-old said. Then they took off to Patrick's house.

"Do you want to come in to meet my family while I put Penny inside?" Patrick asked.

"Sure." Stephanie said. When they got in, Stephanie couldn't believe how big the house was.

"Wow. You sure have a big house and pretty." Stephanie commented.

"Thanks. I grew up here." Patrick said. "Mom, Dad, I want you to meet my new friend." He put Penny in her little cat bed for a nap. Mrs. Gomes came in the kitchen.

"Hi." Mrs. Gomes greeted Stephanie. "I'm his mother, Patricia Gomes."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Stephanie Meanswell." Stephanie said.

"Same here, dear." Mrs. Gomes said. "My husband's in the living room if you want to meet him."

"Ok." Stephanie said as she and Patrick went in the living room to meet Mr. Gomes.

"Dad." Patrick said.

"What's up, buddy? Who's your friend?" Mr. Gomes asked.

"This is Stephanie Meanswell." Patrick said.

"You're the mayor's niece?" Mr. Gomes asked in amazement.

"Yes." Stephanie said.

"Ah, your Uncle is a wonderful mayor. I'm Patrick Gomes, Sr. It's nice to meet you." Mr. Gomes said.

"Same here." Stephanie said.

"We met when I came by and found Penny. Stephanie saw Penny in the tree." Patrick said.

"And Sportacus saved her." Stephanie added.

"Thank you." Mr. Gomes said. "That was very nice of you."

"No problem." Stephanie smiled.

"Did you say she's the niece of the mayor?" Mrs. Gomes asked coming in the living room.

"Yes. She is." Mr. Gomes told his wife.

"Golly. I've seen you in the picture that your Uncle has in his office." Mrs. Gomes replied.

"I haven't been here that long. I moved here in June after school ended. I came from Sleepy Town." Stephanie said.

"Do you like it here?" Mrs. Gomes asked.

"Yes." The nine-year-old replied.

"We're heading to Anna's. I'm taking Stephanie to see the kittens. We decided to stop by to drop off Penny first. Will Alicia and Tricia be home so Stephanie can meet them?" Patrick asked.

"They should be in two hours." Mr. Gomes replied then to Stephanie. "They're identical twins who are nine. You can tell them apart because Alicia has freckles and Tricia doesn't. Plus they both have long hair, but they wear their hair in different ways."

"I'm the youngest I'm eight." Patrick said.

"I'm the girls' age. I'm nine. I'm also the youngest, but of the two daughters. My sister, Sally is eighteen and will be in college here in August. My mother and fatherwill be here on Labor Day." Stephanie explained.

"That's nice." Mr. Gomes replied.

TBC


	4. Stephanie Meets Anna

Lazy Town belongs to Magnus Scheving

----

Patrick and Stephanie were soon on their way to Anna's house, which isn't far from the Gomes' home.

"Your parents are very nice." The nine-year-old commented.

"Thanks." Patrick said. "Howis it that you and your sister are eight years apart?"

"It's a long story. She was ten when my parents had me. They adopted her when she was seven. My sister was a foster child before she got adopted." Stephanie explained. "We're like best friends, we do everything together. Her twin, Hallie was adopted as well but by a different family."

"Wow." Patrick said. Five minutes later, they knocked on the door of Anna's house.

"Hi, there." Anna invited the two in.

There were four kittens in the hallway playing.

"They're _so_ cute." Stephanie commented.

"Thanks, honey. Who is your friend, Patrick?" Anna asked.

"I'm Stephanie Meanswell. Patrick was telling me about you. Your kittens are cute." The nine-year-old commented.

"They are aren't they? How is Penny doing?" Anna smiled.

"She's doing well. She's with my mom and dad right now. Stephanie and Sportacus found her in a tree." Patrick said.

"And Sportacus saved her." Stephanie added.

"That's nice." Anna nodded. "Want some chocolate chip cookies? I just baked them two hours ago."

"Yes please." Stephanie and Patrick said together.

"I like your house." Stephanie commented.

"Thanks. I lived here for three years after I graduated college where I studied to be a piano teacher." Anna said.

"Do you like doing it?" Stephanie asked.

"I love it." Anna replied. "I've met your uncle before. I'm glad I finally met his niece in person. Isn't the secretary is Bessie Busybody?"

"Yes." The nine-year-old replied.

"She's a nice person." Anna said bringing out the cookies.

"I like her. Uncle Milford works late whenever Betsy needs him when she's on vacation, sick, or in the hospital for any reasons." Stephanie said. "My uncle got promoted to Mayor Town in September. He decided to stay here and commute."

"Good for him." Anna said.

"He's not here though; he left for Business Town on a business trip with Bessie for mayors and secretaries yesterday. We were supposed to go camping tomorrow, so we'll do that when he comes back." Stephanie continued.

"Oh, dear. Well I'm sure you'll enjoy your trip when he gets back." Anna said.

"For now, I'm camping with Sportacus and my friends; Trixie, Ziggy, Stingy, and Pixel all this week." Stephanie told her.

"I love camping out. I do that with my dad all the time and we'd fish. It's always just me and him." Patrick said.

"I understand that he has to work late and we'd do stuff the following day." Stephanie said.

"That's good." Anna said.

"What's your cat's name?" Stephanie asked.

"Brownie, because she's dark like a brownie." Anna replied.

"That's a cute name." Stephanie commented.

"Thank you." Anna said. "Are you here to get one?"

"Yeah. My parents are thinking of getting one anyway." Stephanie replied then had an idea. "I know. Maybe I could surprise them. They're not coming until Labor Day and Sally is coming next month for college. Since I'll be camping, I could have my other friend, Monique Walkins, to watch it."

"Ok. Feel free to pick one. Two of them are black and the other two are gray: one has stripes and the other has spots. Two are girls and the other two are boys." Anna told the nine-year-old.

"Ok." Stephanie said. All of the four kittens were soon rubbing against her.

"Gosh, that's a tough decision. They all like me. Penny liked me. May I have the gray kitten with spots?" Stephanie asked as she picked it up.

"It's all set then." Anna said. "That's a girl you're holding."

"There's a pet store around here you can get the litter box, a crate, a kitty bed, and some cat toys." Patrick said. "They can't have collars until next month."

"Ok. Thanks. And playing piano sounds like fun." Stephanie said to Anna.

"You can start anytime. It doesn't matter when." Anna said.

"Can I start next Monday?" Stephanie asked.

"Sure. How about at around one pm Monday through Friday? It's only an hour." Anna said.

"Fine with me. Thank you so much." Stephanie said.

"Not a problem." Anna said. "See you then."

Patrick and Stephanie then left and headed back to his house.

"What are you going to name it?" Patrick asked while they were on their way to his house.

"Not sure. Good question." Stephanie said.

"I know. How about Smokey? Smoke is gray." Patrick said.

"Good thinking, Patrick." Stephanie said. "Do you like that name, Smokey?"

The cat purred.

"I'll take that as a yes." Stephanie said as they laughed.

At Patrick's, while he was getting money for the pet store, his twin sisters came home.

"I'm Stephanie. You two must be Alicia and Tricia. Your father told me about you." Stephanie said.

"That's us." Alicia said.

"Don't tell me he just got another kitten. We just got Penny." Alicia said.

"Not for him, it's for me. My parents were planning to get one." Stephanie told Alicia. "I just got mine from Anna's house."

Patrick who overheard came in and said, "You got that right. I see you just met Alicia and Tricia."

"Yes." Tricia replied.

"She found Penny while Sportacus saved her." Patrick said.

"That's good. Where are you off to?" Tricia asked.

"The pet store." Stephanie smiled. Soon the two took off for the store.

At the pet store, they got a kitty box with litter, kitty bed, crate, and cat food.

"I know what cats love. Yarn." Patrick said. "I have thirty dollars."

"That'll be twenty-five eighty-nine for the cat box, cat food, cat bed, and yarn." The clerk said and Patrick handed over his money.

"Four dollars and eleven cents is your change." The clerk said giving him the bag. "Have a nice day."

"Thanks. You, too." Stephanie said as they left.

They then headed to see Sportacus.

"Sportacus, meet Smokey." Stephanie said.

"He's so cute." The above average hero said.

"It's a girl." Stephanie said.

"Your kitten? Do your parents know?" Stingy asked.

"They're thinking of getting one anyway." Stephanie replied as they just laughed.

TBC


	5. Bad News About Ruth

After Stephanie and the youngsters played Smokey for a bit, she brought the cat to Monique.

"Would you watch Smokey for me?" Stephanie asked.

"I'd be honored to do so," smiled Monique.

"Thank you," her friend smiled back. She handed Monique the cat's things and then left to join the rest who were about to make some smores. As the night went on they told ghost stories and shared some laughs.

Later that night, Stephanie's cell phone rang.

"Hello," said Stephanie.

"Hi, sweetheart," said Howard.

"Oh, hi, Daddy," said Stephanie. "What's up?

"I was calling you because I have some bad news. Your mother was in a car accident," answered Howard.

"What?! Is she okay?" asked the nine-year-old.

"I'm afraid not. She hurt her head. We're at the hospital. The doctors haven't said much," replied her father.

"Oh," said Stephanie.

"Take the train to tomorrow morning and come home," said Howard.

"Okay, sounds good," said Stephanie. After they talked, she looked like she was going to cry.

"I better go see what's up," said Sportacus who noticed her taking off. After a few minutes, he found her crying on a park bench.

"Is everything okay, Stephanie?" he asked.

"My daddy told me that my mother got into a car crash. She injured her head and the doctors…" Stephanie trailed off as she wiped her tears.

"Sorry to hear that," said Sportacus comforting her.

"So, I'm going home tomorrow to see her," continued Stephanie. The hero gave her a hug and they just sat together for a while.

---

The next day, Stephanie was at the train station with her suitcase as the train pulled in.

"Well, here it comes," said Stephanie.

"I hope your mother will be ok," said Trixie.

"We'll pray for your family," said Pixel.

"Thanks," said Stephanie.

"All board to Shopping Town, School Town, Dancing Town, and Sleepy Town," announced the conductor. Stephanie went on the train waving to her friends. An hour later, in Sleepy Town, Stephanie got off the train. She spotted Sally and the sisters hugged.

"How's Mother doing?" asked Stephanie.

"Not well," replied Sally. The two quickly headed for the hospital.

---

At the hospital, she went to her father and hugged him.

"How did the accident happen?" asked Stephanie.

"She was coming home from work when a speeder crashed into her car," explained Howard.

"I hope that speeder is caught," said Stephanie.

"He was; he was drunk," said Howard.

"Thank god he got arrested," added Sally.

"Did you have breakfast before you came here?" asked Howard.

"Yes," replied the nine-year-old.

"Sally and I didn't, so we'll go in the café to get breakfast so you can be with your mother," said Howard.

"Okay, Daddy," said Stephanie. They left as Stephanie sat near her mother who had a bandage around her head. Then two to three minutes later, the monitor gave a long loud beep and suddenly a bunch of medical staff came running in. Stephanie got pushed out of the way and there was a lot of shouting. Then just as it started, everything was over. Stephanie was ignored and all the machines were shut off.

"What's going on?" Howard appeared in the doorway. The doctor pulled him aside and they talked for a few moments. Stephanie could see her dad break down. The doctor left the room and Howard grabbed his daughters.

"I'm so sorry, girls. Mom is gone," he said. Both Stephanie and Sally started crying too.

---

"I'm going to call your Uncle Milford," said Howard once they were at home.

"Stephanie told me he's in Business Town," said Sally.

"I'll call him there. He has a cell phone with him," said Howard.

"Okay," said Sally.

Milford and Howard talked about making funeral arrangements and discussed a date and time with the LazyTown Funeral Home. A plot at the local cemetery was discussed as well.

"Milford and Stephanie will have to stay here until after the funeral," Howard said as he got off the phone.

"I'll go see how Stephanie is," said Sally. Stephanie had run into her room when they arrived home and Sally went to go talk to her.

TBC


	6. The Funeral

Lazy Town belongs to Magnus Scheving

---

The following day, Howard made some funeral arrangements for Ruth. His whole family would be coming for the funeral Wednesday. Stephanie would go back to Lazy Town with her Uncle Milford the day after the funeral.

"Are you planning to go back to Business Town?" Howard asked.

"No. I already told Bessie about it and she'll explain to the conference leader." Milford explained.

At dinner, Stephanie didn't come out of her room.

"Stephanie, dinner's ready!" Her father called.

She didn't respond and her sister spoke up, "I'll go see her, Dad."

"Thank you, Sally, honey." Howard gave a nod.

In her bedroom, Stephanie was looking at a picture of her family and best friend in it.

"I wish that Mother was still here." Stephanie said.

"I know. Me, too. Come on it's time for dinner." Her sister told her.

"I don't want anything." Stephanie replied while her voice was breaking. "I'm just too upset right now."

"If you want, we'll save dinner for you if you change your mind." Sally replied.

"Okay." Stephanie said.

"She isn't coming to dinner. She's too upset." Sally explained.

"I know. But we can move on and be strong." Howard said.

"I remember the way I felt when Grandma Shirley passed away. I was six and it was five months before your father was born." Uncle Milford replied. "He only remembered Grandpa Peter who died when I was eleven and he was five."

"Oh." Sally said. "Were they sick?"

"Yes, your great-grandmother was very sick for a few months and my mom had just found out she was having your father at that time." Uncle Milford explained. "Your great-grandfather had leukemia for a year when he died."

"Did Mom have grandparents?" Sally asked.

"She did from her father's side. In fact, you were starting to become a foster child when they both died in a car accident. We didn't take you in until about two months later." Howard replied.

"You still have great-grandparents from your grandmother's side." The mayor said.

"I remember them. Are they coming tomorrow?" Sally asked.

"Yes." Howard said. "Your mother's parents are coming, too. So are her mother's parents."

---

In the middle of the night, Stephanie was wide awake and went to her sister's room.

"Sally." Stephanie whispered.

"Are you alright?" Sally asked as she woke up..

"I can't sleep. I keep thinking about Mother." The nine-year-old said. "Is alright if I stay in here with you?"

"Of course, there's room in here." Sally replied.

The next day, the entire family arrived after checking into a hotel nearby. Andrew and Drew, who are twins, stayed at Howard's with their parents since they live close by.

"We are very sorry about your loss, Howard." Howard's sister Jamie said.

"Thank you." Howard said trying to hold back tears.

"The girls must be very upset." Jamie replied.

"It is very hard on them." Howard told his sister.

"Where is Stephanie?" Jamie asked.

"She's in her room right now." Howard said.

Andrew went to see his cousin and knocked on her door and said, "Stephanie, its Andy."

Stephanie opened her room door. Her eyes were puffy from crying. She hugged him. They're best friends as well. They went to the same school before Stephanie moved to Lazy Town back on the last day of school.

"It'll be alright, Stephanie." Andrew replied.

---

The following day, the funeral was held over at the Lazy Town Funeral Home. Everyone was there. Ruth was to be buried over at the cemetery on the edge of town.

At the grave, they said their prayers before the coffin was lowered into the ground. Stephanie was too upset and she hugged her sister.

After her mother was buried, they went back into town for brunch, which was at Andrew and Drew's home.

"The funeral service was very nice." Jamie said.

"I know." Howard replied. "Those flowers were very pretty."

TBC


	7. Uncle Milford & Stephanie Back at Home

Lazy Town will always be Magnus Scheving's.

----

The next day, Stephanie and Uncle Milford were back in Lazytown. Her friends gathered to meet them.

"Would you like to finish camping with us? We still have your camping stuff with us just in case you want to." Stingy said comforting his friend. But Stephanie wasn't in the mood to do anything else. She ran to the house and into to her room.

"Give her some time to settle down and maybe she will go camping with you guys again." Uncle Milford suggested.

"Okay. That's fine with us." Sportacus said. "We're sorry about your sister-in-law."

"Thank you, Sportacus." The mayor told the above-average superhero. "I'm going to see if she's alright."

He headed toward the house and his distraught niece.

"Are you alright now, honey?" The mayor asked as he entered her room.

"Yeah, I miss my mother so much." Stephanie said.

"It'll be okay." Uncle Milford tried to comfort her.

----

In the middle of the night, Stephanie was asleep when she woke up screaming.

"No!" Stephanie shouted as she sat up in bed.

Uncle Milford, who heard his niece, came in and went to her.

"It's ok, Stephanie, dear, I'm here." The mayor said as he sat next to her.

She hugged her uncle tightly as he was comforting her.

"It'll be ok, you had a bad dream." Uncle Milford said.

"I miss Mother so much." Stephanie replied while she was crying.

---

The next day, she went to pick up Smokey, who was over at Monique's.

"Hi. I'm sorry about your mother, Stephanie." Monique hoped her friend would be ok.

"Thanks." The nine-year-old said.

"Come on in to get Smokey." Monique said.

"How was she?" Stephanie asked as she entered inside.

"She was very good." Monique said.

After Stephanie got Smokey and all of the cat's accessories, she went back home. She put the litter box in the bathroom, the cat bed in her room, and the cat toys in the cat bed.

"Come on, Smokey, let's go see my uncle." The nine-year-old said as she picked her cat up.

"Who's your new friend there?" The mayor asked.

"This is my new cat, Smokey. I got her from Annabelle Sanderson last week." Stephanie said. "My parents were planning to get a cat anyway. It's too bad my mother won't meet Smokey."

"I know." Uncle Milford said. "Listen, my dear, I have another business trip coming up back in BusinessTown and maybe when I return, you and I can go camping like we planned."

"Ok. How long would you be gone?" Stephanie asked.

"Only for about two weeks. Bessie told me we got picked out of forty mayors and secretaries. I'll be leaving to be with her on Saturday." Uncle Milford said. "So, Sportacus will have to stay here with you again.

"That's fine by me." Stephanie said. "I'll be starting piano lessons at Anna's. I'm going to let Monique watch Smokey for about an hour. It's from one to two o'clock in the afternoon."

"I wish you luck. You can let me know how it went when I return." The mayor said.

"I will if you let _me_ know on how your trip is." The nine-year-old teased her uncle.

"It's a deal." Uncle Milford smiled.

TBC


	8. Stephanie's First Piano Lesson

Magnus Scheving is the creator of Lazy Town, NOT me!  
-----------

On Saturday, Stephanie was still asleep when her Uncle Milford left the house at seven am. When she got up two hours later, she spotted Sportacus in the living room.

"Good morning, Sportacus." Stephanie greeted her friend.

"Good morning to you, too." Sportacus smiled. "Your uncle said he'd call you this evening."

"Ok." Stephanie said.

"Would you like to have breakfast at the diner?" The hero asked.

"Certainly." Stephanie replied. She quickly went to get dressed. Once she was ready, they went to find their friends.

"Who wants to go have breakfast at the diner today?" Sportacus asked.

"Yay!" The kids exclaimed excitedly. The group headed over to the diner. Once there, they talked about what they wanted to do that day.

"We can have a picnic or play tag later on." Stingy said.

"Mind if I call Monique this afternoon first?" Stephanie asked.

"Not at all. You can meet us there." Pixel said.

"Ok. Sounds good." The nine-year-old said.

Later that afternoon, Stephanie was watching Smokey play with one of her cat toys. Her favorite seemed to be the stuffed mouse. In the mean time, Stephanie picked up the phone and dialed Monique's number.

"Hi, Stephanie." Monique greeted her friend after she identified herself.

"Hi, Monique." Stephanie smiled. "May I tell you about something?"

"Of course." Monique replied.

"Can you do me a favor? Starting on Monday, I'm starting piano lessons at Anna's every afternoon from one to two pm. Could you watch Smokey while I'm gone? It's only until my Uncle Milford returns from his business trip in two weeks." The nine-year-old told her.

"It'll be my pleasure. I'm happy to watch Smokey anytime." Monique replied.

"Thanks." Stephanie said. After they chatted, Stephanie went to go find her friends.

"I'm here now. I just had to ask her to watch Smokey during my piano lessons." Stephanie said.

"Oh. Let's go play tag now." Trixie said. That's what they for the entire day until the sun was starting to go down.

----

That night, while Stephanie was having her dinner, the phone rang**.**

"Hello?" Stephanie asked as she picked up the phone.

"Hi, sweetie." Her uncle answered.

"Oh hi, Uncle Milford! How are you doing in Business Town?" Stephanie wondered.

"It's doing well so far." Uncle Milford replied as he explained on what was going on.

"That's great to hear." Stephanie said. They talked for ten more minutes. Afterwards, Stephanie went back to the table to finish her meal. Not long after dinner, she was tired and went to bed around eight pm.

The next day, the kids decided to play baseball. It was dinnertime before they stopped and everyone had a lot of fun.

The day after was Stephanie's first piano lesson.

"_Maybe this'll keep my mind off missing my mother_." Stephanie thought to herself. At twelve-fifty pm, Stephanie was already at Anna's house.

"Hi, come in, dear." Anna said.

"Thanks." Stephanie said.

"I'm just baking cookies for later. If you want, you can start your piano lesson." Anna said. "Let me go get the piano book."

"Ok. Sounds good to me." Stephanie replied. Anna went to get the piano book while the oven buzzed.

"Here it is. I just need to get the cookies out of the oven." Anna said giving the piano book to the nine-year-old.

"Thanks." Stephanie said as she put it on the top of the piano and opened it up to a page.

Then she started to read the lesson instructions Together, Anna showed Stephanie which keys to push.

"Then you can do it on your own Friday or Monday. We can also do a memory game for a few rounds." Anna said.

"Ok. That sounds like a good idea to me." Stephanie replied.

After doing a few short songs, she also did a fun memory game on the piano. Stephanie watched her and after Anna was done, Stephanie would try to memorize it and only made one mistake. When Anna did it again, Stephanie played along without making errors. They did that three to four more times.

"You're very good at the memory game on the piano." Anna said.

"Thanks. That's a fun way for a piano lesson." Stephanie said.

"I agree. You did a very good job at memorizing." Anna smiled.

"Thanks." Stephanie smiled. After the lessons were done at one-fifty pm, Stephanie had some cookies.

"Your cookies are delicious." Stephanie commented.

"Thank you, my dear." Anna said.

"May we do the memory game again tomorrow? That was really fun." Stephanie said as she eating the cookies.

"Of course we can. In case any of us can't do a lesson, we should exchange phone numbers." Anna said.

"Ok." Stephanie said. That's what they did and afterwards they talked for a little while longer.

At two pm, Stephanie left and went to find her friends so she could tell them about her lesson.

TBC


	9. The News about Patrick's Parents

When Stephanie returned, she told her friends about her first day of piano lessons.

"We're doing the memory game again tomorrow. I didn't make a single mistake," said Stephanie.

"Wow, that's great," smiled Sportacus.

"Thanks," smiled the nine-year-old.

"Well, that's good to hear," said Trixie. Stephanie nodded as she put her hair behind her ears.

"I'm just going to let Monique know that I'm back."

"Okay. Maybe she can come out to play with us," said Ziggy.

"That's a good idea," said Stephanie as she went to the house. "Monique, I'm back."

"Hi, Stephanie, how did it go?" asked Monique.

"I liked it," replied Stephanie as she told her friend all about it.

"That's great," smiled Monique.

"Do you want to come out to play with us?" asked Stephanie.

"Okay," said Monique. She did play with the others and had fun together. Later, it was getting dark and it was time for Monique to head back home.

"Are you going to be okay to finish camping with us now?" asked Sportacus.

"Yes," Stephanie replied. They had smores and told ghost stories. They had a good time and by eleven pm everyone was ready for bed.

In the morning, Sportacus left his tent quietly so as not to wake Stephanie. She'd had another nightmare about her mother and had ended up moving into his tent.

"Is Stephanie alright, Sportacus?" asked Stingy.

"She'll be fine. She just misses her mother," said Sportacus.

"She seemed to forget about her yesterday though," said Trixie.

"Just a little bit," replied the above-average hero. "I know it will take awhile for her to feel better."

Later, Stephanie was practicing the piano after doing a few more rounds of a memory game. She didn't make any mistakes again. She was still playing the when Patrick came in.

"Hi, Anna. Hi, Stephanie," said Patrick.

"Hi, Patrick," chorused the girls.

"What's going on? You look a little down," said Anna. Stephanie stopped when she heard what Anna said.

"Did something happen?" asked Stephanie.

"My parents had a big fight, so I came here," replied Patrick.

"That doesn't sound too good," said Stephanie.

"Yeah, Alicia and Tricia left there to be with their friends too," continued Patrick.

"I'm sure they'll make up," said Stephanie.

"I hope so," said Patrick. "My mom blamed my dad for being lazy. He doesn't do any work around the house. All he does is watch TV. My dad works seven days a week as a policeman, so he gets tired when he comes home. He likes working at night so he can spend time with us."

"That's tough," said Anna.

"Yeah," Patrick nodded.

"You can come back to my house for awhile," suggested Stephanie.

"Okay, sounds good," said Patrick who started smiling. Stephanie continued practicing the piano a little while longer until her lesson was over.

"See you tomorrow, Stephanie," said Anna. "You did a great job today."

"Thanks," said Stephanie as she and Patrick left to get back to her house. That was when Alicia and Tricia stopped them.

"Hi, girls, what's going on?" asked Stephanie.

"Mom and Dad wants us to have a small meeting with them tonight because they have to tell us something after seeing their counselor again," said Alicia.

"Are they always like that?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes and we're so tired of hearing them fight every time. Last time they had it, we were at a restaurant and they had a fight about where to sit; the booth or the table and everyone watched them. It was so embarrassing," explained Tricia.

"You bet it was. We even couldn't face our parents later on after a manager kicked us out," added Alicia.

"That happened to us three times," continued Patrick.

"Boy, that is embarrassing," agreed Stephanie. "What time does Patrick need to go home? He's going to be with me for awhile."

"Not until before dinnertime, which is at around six pm," replied Alicia.

"Okay," said Stephanie. Then she and Patrick continued on.

"I'm scared about what's going to happen between my mom and dad," said Patrick.

"Don't worry about a thing, I'm sure they'll work things out," said Stephanie.

"I just hope so," said Patrick. "The counselor always helps them make up, which is a good thing."

"Did they apologize the way they embarrassed you and your sisters?" asked the nine-year-old.

"They do, but it just gets old," replied Patrick. "I don't think I want to tell anyone else about my parents going to the counselor."

"It's up to you," smiled Stephanie. Patrick knew he could trust Stephanie to make him feel better.

"That's true. When my sisters and I have a fight, I just ignore it and change the subject by saying my sorry to them," said Patrick.

"Do your sisters say their sorry, too?" asked Stephanie.

"Luckily, yes, we accept each other apologies," replied Patrick.

"That's good to hear," smiled Stephanie.

"What about your family?" asked Patrick.

"We're all very close," said Stephanie. "If we argue usually we end up compromising."

"Good idea," said Patrick.

"My parents had a fight once when I was little, but I don't remember that," continued Stephanie. "Sally explained what the fight was about and my daddy was here for two nights until he was ready to come home because my mother's feelings were hurt and they apologized."

"That's a good thing," agreed Patrick.

Later on, at Patrick's house, Patrick and his sisters couldn't believe what they heard from their parents.

"Divorced?!" exclaimed all three kids at once.

"But I don't want you two to get divorced," said Patrick.

"We're sorry honey we really are but your father and I believe it is better for you than to have us fighting all the time. Your Dad will be staying at a hotel until he can find a place to live," replied Mrs. Gomes.

"Don't worry about it. We'll still spend time together it just won't be everyday," Mr. Gomes tried to make it sound better. Instead it just upset the kids more. Patrick took off for his bedroom and his sisters went after him.

"I can't believe Dad's leaving," said Tricia who was in tears.

----

"Something must have happened," Stephanie told her friends who had seen the three upset kids coming. The nine-year-old took off to see what was wrong.

"Is everything alright?" asked Stephanie. When she got no response she said, "Let's go to the tree house so we can talk." She told her other friends where they'd be and then she joined her friends in the tree house.

"How did they go when they saw their counselor?" asked Stephanie.

"Mom and Dad are getting a divorce," replied Alicia as she started to cry.

"I'm very sorry," Stephanie said as she handed over a box of tissues.

"Thanks," said Tricia with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Dad's moving out today while the rest of us stay with Mom," said Patrick.

"It'll be okay," replied Stephanie. "Why don't you all come to my piano lesson today?"

"That'll be great, thanks for asking, we don't want to go back home," said Tricia who was trying to smile a bit.

"No matter what happens, you'll always be a family and your parents would still love you," said Stephanie.

"Thanks, Stephanie," said Patrick.

"Yeah," agreed the girls as they all did a group hug.

"See, girls, I told you Stephanie always knows what to do," said Patrick.

---

Later on, the Gomes kids went to Stephanie's piano lesson and they talked to Anna while she was practicing the piano. After the lesson was over, Anna told Stephanie that she should audition for a recital coming up in August.

"Family and friends are invited to watch you audition," said Anna.

"Swell," smiled the nine-year-old who was very excited. She told it to her friends afterwards and they were thrilled for her.

"I can't wait to tell Uncle Milford when he comes home," said Stephanie.

"Did someone mention my name?" asked a voice. When Stephanie turned, it was Uncle Milford and she ran to hug him.

"Uncle Milford," said Stephanie.

"Hello, my dear," said the mayor.

"How was your business trip?" asked Stephanie.

"It was good, but it's great to be back," said Uncle Milford.

"That's good," smiled his niece as she told him about the piano lesson and the recital audition coming up.

"That's even better, Stephanie, I'm happy for you," said Uncle Milford.

"Thanks," said Stephanie.

TBC


	10. Mr Gomes Moves Out

Later on that day, Patrick and his sisters learned that their father was moving out that evening.

"I don't want Daddy to move out!" exclaimed Alicia who was getting upset again.

"We don't want him to go either," said Tricia and Patrick.

"Sorry, kids," said their mother.

"I don't care. I don't want you to get a divorce," said Patrick as he ran to his room.

"Will we see Daddy again?" asked Alicia.

"Yes, you'll be visiting him every other weekend," replied Mrs. Gomes. "So, your father's going to be packing after he returns with some boxes and he might need your help to pack his stuff."

"Okay," said the girls.

"Maybe we should talk to Patrick into helping Daddy to pack," said Alicia.

"I agree," said Tricia. They went to their brother who was still in his room.

"Mama said we'll able to see Daddy every other weekend," said Tricia.

"We are?" asked Patrick.

"Yes," replied Alicia.

"Oh, I still don't want Dad to leave," said Patrick.

"Mama said Daddy is going to pack when he gets back from getting the boxes and might want us to help him out," added Tricia.

"I don't know. It might be too hard on me, besides I'm going to be with Stephanie," said Patrick. Two minutes later, Patrick left the house just before Mr. Gomes came back. None of his parents knew he left until they noticed while Mr. Gomes was packing his stuff.

"Where's Patrick? Isn't he supposed to help out?" asked Mr. Gomes.

"He's too upset," replied Alicia.

"But where is he?" asked Mrs. Gomes.

"He left to take a walk for awhile," replied Tricia.

"Are you sure?" asked her mother.

"Yes," said Alicia.

"Alright then. We just wanted to make sure so we'll know where he is," said Mrs. Gomes.

---

Stephanie was having dinner when she heard a knock on the door. She got up to answerit.

"Hi, Patrick is everything okay?" asked Stephanie.

"I'm just too upset to see Dad leave. He's going to leave tonight and I was too angry to help him pack, so I figured I'd come here for now," said Patrick while his voice was breaking.

"Oh, you can come in," said his friend. "It'll be alright."

"It's going to take me awhile to get used to the divorce," said Patrick.

"I know," agreed the nine-year-old.

"Tricia and Alicia informed me we'd be visiting Dad every other weekend," continued Patrick.

"That's good to hear," said Stephanie.

"But it's going to be tough to go back and forth," said Patrick.

"That's true, but I'm sure one day you'll get used to the idea," said Stephanie comforted him.

"I hope so," said Patrick.

"It'll just take some time," said Stephanie.

"I'm lucky to have you as my friend because you always find a way to make me feel better," said Patrick.

"That's what friends are for," smiled the nine-year-old.

----

At seven-thirty, Patrick decided to go home to say good-bye to his father. He was still there by the time Patrick came back home.

"I'm going to miss you," said Patrick.

"I'm going to miss you, too, sport, all of you will start visiting me next weekend," said Mr. Gomes. "Plus you'll be seeing me every holiday as well, so you'll be seeing on Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, etc."

"Oh, good," said Patrick.

"We're glad about that, too," said Tricia. Mr. Gomes said good-bye to the kids for the final time after he packed up his car.

"I'm going to be with your grandparents when you visit me," said Mr. Gomes.

"Okay, Daddy," said Alicia. That was when Mr. Gomes got in the car and drove off.

"At least we'll be visiting him a lot," said Tricia.

"Yeah," said Alicia.

"I wish we'd be visiting him every weekend because every other weekend isn't enough," said Alicia.

"Stephanie said it'll take some time for us to get used to it," Patrick told his sisters.

"That's true," agreed Tricia.

TBC


End file.
